


Tragedy Is a Close-Up

by benjaminrussell



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Spoilers for S02E02 2100°
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-15 11:13:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29063382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/benjaminrussell/pseuds/benjaminrussell
Summary: Now Tommy figured the cat had realised that his owner wasn't coming back, and she found herself talking to him even though he'd have no clue what she was saying. She certainly wouldn't be able to explain that Tim had died saving someone’s life.In the wake of Tim's death, Tommy takes his cat home with her.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 21





	Tragedy Is a Close-Up

**Author's Note:**

> The title is appropriately a Buster Keaton quote.
> 
> RIP Tim. You may not have had much screen time, but I still liked you.

Buster wouldn't stop crying.

Initially when Tommy had brought him home, he’d explored every nook and cranny he could get to as if it were an adventure, and then when Tim still hadn’t turned up by morning, Buster had sat watching the door for a while. Now Tommy figured the cat had realised that his owner wasn't coming back, and she found herself talking to him even though he'd have no clue what she was saying. She certainly wouldn't be able to explain that Tim had died saving someone’s life.

“I know, I miss him too,” She told Buster, as she checked that he had enough food and water. “Well, maybe not ‘miss’ because I didn’t know him well enough for that.”

“And that’s one hundred percent my fault, I know,” She muttered under her breath.

“I am sad that he’s dead though,” She continued at a normal volume, glad her family weren’t around to hear her. “And I regret that I wasn’t nicer to him. He deserved better.”

She reached out to scratch Buster’s head where he was curled up on the sofa, sighing when he just kept whining.

“I’d tell you that he’s in a better place, but I suppose you don’t have any concept of heaven so that won’t be much comfort to you.”

Tommy sat on the sofa next to Buster, watching him sadly and wishing there were something she could do. Then she remembered her conversation with Nancy at the end of that terrible shift, where the other paramedic had mentioned Tim’s love of Buster’s namesake. If Tim had liked the actor that much, then surely, he’d watched Buster Keaton’s movies at home. Maybe something familiar would make the cat feel better.

“Let’s give it a go, yeah?”

She switched on the TV and pulled up the YouTube app, searching through the ‘Buster Keaton’ results until she found one that looked promising. Setting it playing, she relaxed back into the sofa cushions and settled in to watch. It wasn’t the usual sort of thing she’d choose to watch, but she soon found herself laughing at the humour regardless.

“Okay, I’m beginning to see why Tim liked him so much,” She told Buster, glad to see that he’d finally stopped crying and looked like he was watching along with her.

Slipping her phone from her pocket, she snapped a quick photo of Buster the cat watching Buster the actor and saved it to share with Nancy in the future. Tommy might not be close enough to the other woman to share her grief, but hopefully the photo would be able to provide a small amount of comfort.

She wished it hadn’t taken the death of one of her crew to make her realise how she’d been acting, but she vowed to do better going forward. Even if she was struggling with being back on the job again, she shouldn’t take it out on her colleagues. Knowing Tim had clearly noticed her hypocrisy, telling him off for promising a kid that everything would be okay before turning around and telling her own kids the same thing, well it only made her feel worse. Nancy was right – Tim had been a great EMT, and Tommy should have told him so.

Sighing, she turned her attention back to the movie, and let the old comedy distract her once more. She reached for Buster and coaxed him into her lap so she could stroke his fur as she watched, the last couple of days catching up with her. She dozed off without realising she was doing so, head lolling back and hand stilling in Buster’s fur.

That was how Charles found them when he and the girls returned from the store – Tommy and Buster both curled up on the sofa, asleep together with Buster Keaton still acting his heart out on screen.


End file.
